Illinois yields again on assisted suicide – this time for Muslim doctors Court’s temporary order shields Muslim physicians from fines and penalties for refusing to help patients die

WASHINGTON – With agreement from the state of Illinois, a federal judge yesterday ordered the state not to enforce its assisted suicide mandate against four Muslim doctors whose faith forbids them from helping terminally ill patients kill themselves. The order comes just weeks after Illinois temporarily agreed not to enforce its mandate against Catholic healthcare providers in Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm v. Prince, a separate case brought by Becket.

In Ali v. Vohra, Becket asked a federal court to halt the law and protect these doctors from steep fines and penalties for refusing to take part in assisted suicide or for telling a suffering patient that life is still worth living.

Bound by the belief that life is sacred, physicians like Dr. Akbar Ali, Dr. Asim Babar, Dr. Omar Hussain, and Dr. Umar Shakur practice medicine to cure and heal their neighbors. Each regularly sees patients facing crises, life-changing diagnoses, and terrifying uncertainty. As physicians, they treat patients with dignity and compassion so no one is left to despair.

Their faith forbids them from prescribing death. The doctors will not prescribe life-ending drugs, steer patients toward them, or help facilitate suicide in any way. Islam teaches that every life is a blessing from God—even life marked by terminal illness—and that suffering never strips a person of beauty, value, or goodness.

Illinois’ End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act (EOLOA) now forces objecting doctors into the machinery of death. Under the law, doctors who object to participating in assisted suicidemust still inform patients about their “right” to kill themselves, help them qualify for lethal drugs, and pass them along to someone willing to help them obtain those drugs—stamping the patient’s ticketfor death. The law also risks punishing these doctors for telling a suffering patient, “Don’t kill yourself. God has a plan for you. Your life is worth living.” Yesterday’s order allows the doctors to continue practicing medicine according to their beliefs while Becket fights for permanent protection in court. 

Statements for media use: 

Dr. Akbar Ali, M.D., internal medicine physician in Evanston, Illinois: 

“I did not become a doctor to hand patients a path to suicide. In their most terrifying moments, they deserve someone who will fight for them, not someone forced to point them towards death. I am grateful that this order lets me keep that promise to my patients.”

Dr. Asim K. Babar, M.D., cardiologist in Ottawa, Illinois:  

“My patients trust me with their hearts and their lives. That trust is sacred, and my faith is how I uphold it. This order means I can go on fighting for them, without being conscripted to push them toward death.”  

Dr. Omar Hussain, D.O., pulmonary specialist in Libertyville, Illinois:

“When a patient is staring down a devastating diagnosis, the last words they need from their doctor are that suicide is an option. The state has no right to force Muslim physicians to choose between ourfaith and the people in our care. This agreement is a victory for patients, for religious liberty, and for the community that stands behind us.”

Dr. Umar Shakur, D.O., cardiologist in Chicago, Illinois:

“I’m grateful to Allah for this non-enforcement decision by the judge. The Islamic tradition values each life, whether Muslim or not, because the greatest gift from Allah is to be brought into existence. To betray that gift with suicide, is also to betray the hope that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instilled in every Muslim, that every disease has a cure and from the Qur’an, that no one is burdened with more than they can bear. For now, I will not be forced to offer suicide, and I remain optimistic that good will prevail.”

Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and lead attorney for the doctors: 

“Doctors shouldn’t need a federal court order to refuse to help patients die. No patient should have to hear the government’s sales pitch for suicide in the exam room. Illinois was right to come to an agreement. We look forward to defeating this mandate permanently.”

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219.